Monasteries of the Heart

Old Monk's Journal: Journal Entry 247

Here is the poem for Monday, April 26. To celebrate National Poetry Month, I am posting a short poem, a question and prompt every other day during the month. Mostly they will be poems by my daily companions, the ancient Japanese and Chinese poets. I will do the prompt myself, either in prose or poetry, and invite you to join.

Living in the mountains
I have grown old,
No longer needing much sleep—
I am always up at dawn
To greet the morning moon.
--Rengetsu

Do you like this poem? Why or why not? How does it make you feel?
Prompt: Start your writing response with the word “Living” and attach it to a person or place or even see where it leads you

Living in the city
Living in the country
Living through the pandemic
Living with you
Living alone

Living in the monastery
I have grown either wise or weary:
No longer interested in emperors
Throned clergy, daily chant, community babble—
I cling to my prayer beads.
--Old Monk

To view or make comments you must be logged in to Monasteries of the Heart. If you are not yet a member, you can create a free membership account at now. A real person authenticates each new member account to avoid spam accounts so you will not have immediate access. As soon as your account is verified you will receive an email with further instructions.

A blog by Mary Lou Kownacki
A personal journal captures what’s in the heart. Most of my adult life I’ve recorded my notes, brief reflections, poems, reactions to daily events in a journal. It is an ongoing source of monastic formation; the rich and raw material of life that helps shape my Monastery of the Heart. About a year ago, Old Monk began to appear on my journal’s pages. Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB, is the Monasteries of the Heart coordinator.

Previous Posts Posted